NORTHPIC - Hubert Hofer

Darnley Deep

A video frame of a Black Coral in Kalico Passage at 25 m.
The waters surrounding Darnley Island (Erub) have become known as the 'Darnley Deeps' during the pearl shelling peak years.
An area seven miles south of Darnley, around Kalico Reef has depths to 90 metres & many divers paid the ultimate price there. A number of divers were laid to rest in the island's cemetery but there were also those who were lost on the bottom due to their lines snagging, the bends & there a stories of divers' lines deliberately cut. There was one diver whose whole body was squeezed into the helmet with only the feet protruding. He was buried in his suit & helmet.
The entries in the death register simply state the cause of death as 'paralysis from diving in deep water'.

Random image